07983570574 - Glenn Hill
“Shortlisted as Gym Based Personal Trainer of the year 2014 and 2015 - Glenn Hill (Bannatynes Riverside)”
This is just about Personal Trainers and some things you should look for when hiring or keeping one?
Some common sense things to notice that seperate an average - good and bad exercise professional.
Everyone is different and even the best PT might not be able to help you, having good rapport with your PT is one of the most important things. You will work harder for someone you like and respect and will under perform for someone who you just dont like!!
There is only a few weeks now until the festive period and each year the average amount of weight we put on during that period goes up by roughly 1 pound, so 7lb in 2013, 8lb in 2014 and this year around 9lb. Yikes, for those that would like a little help hiring or keeping a PT follow the steps below:
The list below can be used to select the best exercise professional for you, if they tick all of the boxes below.....hire that man or woman.
10 Things to Consider When Hiring a Personal trainer
- Price tag - If your Personal Trainer charges you about £15-£25 an hour they dont even value their own services. How can you expect a great service for £15? to be a good/great Personal Trainer they should be constantly investing in their own ability and knowledge from courses on nutrition, sports massage, mind set, olympic lifting, neurology, crossfit, language, business, marketing and everything else in between.
- Blogging - If a Personal Trainer isn’t blogging that means he/she isnt reading, learning and developing and isn’t that current. A blog is also a way of helping lots of other individuals who need help but who cant afford personal training. Does your PT have a youtube blog, Website, Facebook page, Blogging site or Email blog? Maybe read some of their stuff to see if you like their language and personality.
- Variation - If you see the local Personal Trainer delivering the exact same session every day or just following one training method, for example kettlebells, this means they are potentially a one trick pony. Variation is the key to ensuring your neurology and body doesnt adapt to the training and you keep getting results, and you dont get bored. Is your PT a one trick pony??? does he or she just lift and take angry selfies of themselves lol (check out their facebook pages, if its just naked torso pictures steer clear).
- Personal Service - Some Personal Trainers spend most the session chatting and flirting with other gym members, if they do it’s time to say godbye and time for a better trainer or coach. You pay good money for a coach and they should totally focussed on you and your coaching during the session. Do they keep looking at their watch or the gym clock? tut tut if they do.
- Class Instructor- A Personal Trainer and a Fitness Class Instructor are two different things, most of the top Personal Trainers just do 1 on 1 coaching and this will be the focuss of all of their study and development. This works both ways as most of the top class instructors do mainly classes and go on class courses to teach more classes such as metafit, spinning, les mills etc. If you would like to hire a great PT they really shouldn’t be taking endless classes, instead they will probably be attending courses that benefit one person (the client)
- Goal setting - Goal setting is an important part of Personal Training and life in general, without a goal or an aim you are aimless. Especially when you are after certain results or landmarks you need to have goals. These could be something like run a mile in 6 weeks time, complete 10 full press ups in a months time or fit into an item of clothing. Some Personal Trainers including myself invest in courses in mindset including neuro linguistic programming or MindMap(Dax Moy) this will help them really understand you and communicate better.
- Nutrition Support - Lots of trainers just train and dont even look at your nutrition (two large studies in the US suggest that the weight loss without food changes is minuscule). Personal Trainers are not dieticians but can attend nutrition courses, if your trainer hasnt completed a nutrition course or read a number of books on nutrition how can he/she be trusted when advising you. I offer a free consultation with a nutritionist as part of all my PT packages.
- Personal Development - If you are looking for a PT firstly find their website/poster or information and look at what they are doing to make themselves a better trainer for their clients. Have a look to see what courses they have done, if it’s mainly fitness class courses then they are more of a fitness instructor and if its courses that can improve the mind, nutrition, goal setting, rehab, function and flexibility they will definitely be a real Personal Trainer.
- Branding/Website - just because a PT doesnt have branded clothing or a website doesnt mean they are unprofessional. However a lack of both could mean that being a trainer is just a part time job for them or a hobby, there is a growing number of failed PTs that do other jobs and take some fitness. I think around 80-90% of individuals that qualify as a Personal Trainer dont make it into a successful profession, ask your trainer how long he/she has been doing it for.
- Extras - Not all Good Personal Trainers give extras and that is fine: this is what my PT clients all receive:
- An online home training app that is personal to them with loads of blogs, videos and workouts that can be done anywhere.
- A useful mind hack a Flipband(Plastic Wristband Simple Yet Powerful) , this is a visual and kinaesthetic anchor to remind them to do their daily goal in order to create a healthy habit of exercise, nutrition or mindset.
- A free consultation with Nutritionist Pam Rae, in addition to the diet advice and support I provide as usual I provide that little bit more.
- My healthy recipe book “a soldiers recipe for fitness”.
- A minimum of 1 training t-shirt, the longer my clients stay the more training clothing they receive “thats only fair”.
- eBooks on Metabolism, Motivation and Alcohol.
- Free access to my very own Army Para Style Bootcamp.
- Loads of team events (goals) and training for Tough Mudders, Half Marathons, Toughest etc.
- Sports Massage and rehab as part of their packages.
- Adventure Coaching as and when needed.
Basically a Personal Trainer should be thinking of as many ways as he/she can to help you with everything from your fitness, weight, home life, work, family to buying a car and everything in between.
Good luck finding your ideal Personal Trainer, they can be amazing and really help you, but they can also be a guy with big biceps that likes taking your money.
Glenn (Complete Personal Training in Durham) Hill
07983570574
If these blogs piss some other exercise professionals off, you have to ask yourself why?